12 Biggest Stories From NJPW King Of Pro-Wrestling And What They Mean Going Forward

Chris Jericho returns, Jay White joins the OGs, and the Wrestle Kingdom main event is set in stone.

Chris Jericho Intercontinental
www.njpw1972.com

On Monday, 8 October, New Japan Pro Wrestling held their seventh annual King of Pro-Wrestling event at Ryōgoku Sumo Hall in Tokyo. The show featured high profile matches for many of the promotion's championships and also saw some surprises -- notably, the return of Chris Jericho who again disguised himself in order to perpetrate a heinous attack.

The IWGP Junior Heavyweight tournament saw a new champion crowned while legendary stars Tiger Mask and Jushin Liger vied for the Junior Tag Team titles. Meanwhile, Hiroshi Tanahashi defended his G1 Climax briefcase which guarantees the holder a spot in Wrestle Kingdom 13's main event for the company's top belt. That top title itself was also defended by Kenny Omega. Unusually, however, it was in a triple threat match -- the last of which took place on 4 January 2013 -- against Kenny's own friends Cody and Kota Ibushi.

With shocking upsets, brutal beatdowns, and more, King of Pro-Wrestling set the stage for the remainder of NJPW's 2018 as new championship challengers rose and the Wrestle Kingdom main event was solidified. Join us for all that and more as we look at what happened on 8 October and where it all goes from here.

12. United States And Tag Team Titles Change Hands In Long Beach

Chris Jericho Intercontinental
www.njpw1972.com

Before Monday’s King Of Pro-Wrestling event in Tokyo, New Japan made a stop in Long Beach, CA for Fighting Spirit Unleashed on 30 September. The company’s third United States event in 2018 saw the return of high-paced and hard-hitting action to the Walter Pyramid, but the biggest news was that of two major title changes.

The Bullet Club OGs added the Heavyweight Tag belts to their collection as Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa defeated The Young Bucks after having already captured the NEVER Six-Man titles alongside Taiji Ishimori during the G1 Climax earlier this year. The Bullet Club civil war has raged for much of 2018 and as the OGs continue to rack up wins over their former comrades, it seems there is yet to be an end in sight.

Meanwhile, the Bullet Club Elite made up for the tag title loss when Cody conquered Juice Robinson for the IWGP United States belt later in the night. Cody's 2018 seemingly peaked at ALL IN when he captured the NWA Worlds title, but he would attempt to add a third title to his collection at King of Pro-Wrestling.

Contributor

Douglas Scarpa is a freelance writer, independent filmmaker, art school graduate, and pro wrestling aficionado -- all of which mean he is in financial ruin. He has no backup plan to speak of, yet maintains his abnormally high spirits. If he had only listened to the scorn of his childhood teachers, he wouldn't be in this situation.